


True Love's First Kiss

by mariothellama



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Dragon Battle, Dragons, Enchantresses - good and bad, Happy Ending, M/M, Magic, Making and breaking curses, True Love, True Love Conquers All, True Love's Kiss, inspired by Sleeping Beauty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 07:29:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11846838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariothellama/pseuds/mariothellama
Summary: A reimagining of Sleeping Beauty. Can Prince Erik and Prince Marco defeat the curse the wicked sorceress has placed on the kingdom and on their love and live happily ever after? They might have some help along the way as well!





	True Love's First Kiss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eafay70](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eafay70/gifts).



> My dear eafay70
> 
> I promised you a story written just for you once your Spracheid finally came to an end. So I hope that a fairytale (this time with a nod to the Disney version!) with dragons and true love - eventually! - conquering all hits the spot.

Once upon a time, in a kingdom on the edge of a great forest, lived beautiful Queen Helena and her husband King Jürgen. They were blissfully happy together and all of their subjects loved them, but one solitary sadness clouded their joy - they had no children. The kingdom needed an heir, not to mention the fact that they longed to have a family of their own. Finally, after long years of waiting, all their hopes and dreams were fulfilled and the whole kingdom rejoiced with them.

It was the morning of the baby prince’s naming ceremony and Queen Helena stood alone in the highest room of the tallest turret in the castle, looking out over the gathering throng, rocking her tiny son in her arms. There was a sudden puff of pink smoke and the good sorceress Mathilda materialised beside her, her billowing gown half-filling the small room. The flock of miniature dragons that were her constant companions left their normal perching places on her skirts to fly in circles round the tiny prince, chirping and cooing at how adorable he was.

However Mathilda was more concerned with the Queen. ‘Something is worrying you, Your Majesty. What is it? Today should be a day filled with nothing but joy and rejoicing, but your heart is troubled. I can see that.’

The Queen sighed, looking down at her son, who looked for all the world as if he was smiling up at the flock of adoring dragons fluttering above him. ‘I love my son. He is perfect, everything I ever longed for. But I can’t help thinking about the curse.’

Mathilda nodded. The evil sorceress Maleficent had cursed the kingdom long, long ago out of sheer spite and loneliness, hating even to see others happy and content. Only one thing protected the kingdom from being engulfed in the darkness of Maleficent’s curse and that was the continuation of the royal bloodline, Mathilda’s magic had seen to that. But there was a catch. The royal heir had be born directly from the royal line, so the line of succession could only be carried on either by a princess or by an Omega prince.

‘It would have been so much easier if we had had a girl,’ the Queen continued, ‘or knew that the prince would grow up to be an Omega. Can you … ? Would you …. ?’

Mathilda through for a moment. ‘Yes, I can tell you if the prince will present as an Omega or not, but I won’t. Such knowledge should not be allowed to shadow his childhood and your joy in your son. He needs to be brought up in a loving and happy family and you and King Jürgen need to enjoy being parents. That is all that matters. And I promise you that I will do everything in my power to safeguard the kingdom when the time comes.’

‘Thank you, Mathilda. You are right. I am just torn between my duty to the kingdom and my love for my son.’

‘I understand. But you need not be, for they are one and the same thing. Now shall we go downstairs? I think that a lot of people are waiting for us, or more properly for the young prince.’

Mathilda made her way down the steep, narrow circular staircase, the flock of miniature dragons that surrounded her holding up the hem of her long skirt like a train, although the chief dragon fluttered over the baby prince protectively as he followed, cradled in his mother’s arms.

The great hall of the castle was filled to bursting point with the assembled guests, the tapestries lining the walls muffling the sounds of animated conversation, heraldic banners identifying nobles, kings and princes from all over the kingdom and beyond.

The Queen laid her son tenderly in the elaborate crib that had been prepared for him, giving his tummy a last fond tickle as he kicked his legs gleefully at her. And then she stood at King Jürgen’s side as all of their guests trooped past to pay tribute to the baby prince. First in line was the ruler of the neighbouring kingdom and her youngest son, Prince Marco. Marco seemed entranced by the baby prince lying in his crib, standing before him in rapt awe until his mother led him away with an amused smile.

Finally the prince’s three magical godmothers stood before him to bestow their gifts and officially name the young prince.

‘I give you the gift of wisdom, Prince Erik,’ said the first.

‘And I bestow the gift of kindness upon you, Prince Erik,’ added the second.

‘My gift is beauty, Prince Erik, beauty of spirit and beauty of countenance,’ completed the third.

And then Mathilda stepped forward, looking thoughtfully at the happily chuckling prince in his crib.

‘I have a gift for you as well, my precious little Prince Erik. But today is not the day for that gift. It will be revealed to you on your eighteenth birthday and it will be your choice as to whether or not you want to accept it.’ She kissed her hand and gently stroked over little Erik’s cheek, the traces left by her fingers glowing like glittering, sparkling stars on the prince’s skin.

But the peace and dignity of this special moment was shattered as the doors to the great hall were flung open and a huge cloud of black-purple smoke caused all those in its vicinity to cough and choke, half-poisoned by the toxic gas. A towering figure stepped out of the cloud and stalked over to the baby prince’s crib, the troupe of tiny demons that clung to her skirts chattering and hissing.

The dragons fluttering around Mathilda hissed back, breathing out tiny jets of flame, eager to defend Prince Erik. But their Mistress hushed them, ‘Patience, little ones. There will be no blood shed today, not on a day that should be filled with nothing but love and rejoicing.’ And then she turned her gaze on the newcomer. ‘And what do you have to seek here, Maleficent?’ she demanded.

‘Something seems to have happened to my invitation to the happy event. I too have a gift for the new prince. But, since you have seen fit to reserve your gift until young Erik turns eighteen, I think that I will allow myself the same privilege.’ And with that she snapped her fingers and vanished in a puff of foul-smelling smoke.

The mood was somber and subdued after Maleficent’s dramatic exit, but Queen Helena and King Jürgen were able to encourage their guests to celebrate their joy with them and the rest of the day passed peacefully in feasting and fellowship, even if Mathilda did have a thoughtful expression on her face every time she looked at the young prince in his crib.

As the years passed, the dramatic events of Prince Erik’s naming day were forgotten, passing into myth and legend. The prince grew up to be kind and wise, beloved by all who knew him. And he was without question the handsomest youth in the whole kingdom, tall and elegant, with beautiful, regular masculine features. His eyes were deep, limpid pools of hazel-green, sparkling and shining with light, love and his passion for life. His hair was soft and brown, begging to be stroked like the fur of a shy forest creature. His skin was creamy pale and tinged with the most perfect hint of pink blush. His lips were full and ripe and red, waiting patiently for true love’s first kiss.

As beautiful as Prince Erik’s outward appearance was, his noble character was far and away the most beautiful thing about him. Of course the prince was loved by many, but his heart belonged to one man alone, to Prince Marco. It had been ever so. The two princes had been inseparable since childhood and the innocent purity of their young love had grown with them, developing over the years into something rich with the promise of deeper and more mature feelings.

Prince Marco had presented as an Alpha on his eighteenth birthday and it had seemed as if it was meant to be, that the princes would have their fairytale ending. It seemed as if fate was decreeing that Prince Erik would present as an Omega, marry his one true love and give his kingdom the heir that would protect it from Maleficent’s curse for a further generation.

The mood in the great hall of the castle was expectant and excited as the day of Erik’s eighteenth birthday dawned, believing that this would be the day that Prince Marco would pledge his eternal love to Erik, hoping that today would see a betrothal as well as a birthday celebration.

The whole assembly held its breath as Prince Erik stood on the dais, waiting for the sun to rise on his eighteenth birthday. The room was filled with expensively and elaborately attired royalty, nobles and courtiers, dripping with gold and jewels as befitted such an important occasion. But it was clear that Erik only had eyes for his Marco, who was standing in the front row dressed in simple black doublet and hose, his hair gleaming a brighter gold than any of the costly ornaments adorning their guests.

They waited in silence as the first rays of the morning sun fell on Prince Erik. But instead of rejoicing, there was a sharp intake of breath as the prince glowed with a golden aura in the morning sun. The gold of an Alpha, not the red of an Omega or the silver of a Beta. The heartbreak on Erik’s face as he looked in shock at Prince Marco was painful to see. Queen Helena was trying hard to suppress her sobs.

The crowd parted to let Mathilda through, her skirts swishing loudly as she walked, the little dragons hopping up and down, chirping sadly. She walked straight up to Prince Erik, taking his chin in her hand, looking directly in his eyes, speaking in a low voice intended only for him to hear.

‘I promised you that I would give you your gift today and that it would be your decision whether or not to accept it. I can make you an Omega if you so wish. But it has to be your decision and yours alone. Nobody else will ever know.’

Erik didn’t hesitate for a single heartbeat before answering. ‘Thank you. I do want this. For my kingdom. For myself.’ His voice was soft as he said this and Mathilda didn’t miss the yearning glance he bestowed on Marco from under his long eyelashes.

‘I thought that would be your decision, Erik,’ Mathilda smiled, ‘but you had to make the choice of your own free will.’ She stepped back, waving a hand over Erik in an intricate pattern. And now there was another sharp intake of breath from the assembled guests, this time in wonder and amazement, as the prince’s aura now glowed the bright, passionate, pulsing scarlet of an Omega.

Prince Marco’s eyes shone with joy and he took his first steps towards his beloved Erik, his one true love. But he never reached the side of his Erik, for the doors burst open and a cloud of foul-smelling purple-black smoke heralded the unwelcome presence of Maleficent, her army of tiny demons scampering behind her.

‘I see that my invitation must have gone astray again,’ she said, her voice dripping with venom. ‘And I see that our noble prince has decided to forgo a life as a powerful Alpha to be a weak and submissive Omega. All for love. Love only makes you weak and vulnerable. You will learn that the hard way, Prince Erik.’

Erik started forward, trying to protest, but Maleficent stopped him with an outstretched hand. ‘Just like my sister Mathilda, I too have reserved my gift for this very special day. I will show you how weak and stupid true love makes us. That is the most potent gift I can give a young man on the cusp of life.’

She turned to address the packed great hall. ‘Soon Prince Erik will fall into a deep slumber. Do not fear, he will not die, for I cannot kill him directly. Rather inconveniently, Mathilda’s magic prevents me from doing so, not without breaking the curse I have placed on this kingdom. He can be woken again on the morning of his twenty-fifth birthday. But only one thing can save Prince Erik and that is the kiss of his one true love. Otherwise he will sleep forever, never waking again.’

‘I will wait for you, Erik!’ cried Marco. ‘You need have no fear of that. Seven years without you will feel like an eternity, but I love you and I will wait for you. I will wake you with true love’s kiss when the day comes.’

Maleficent smiled in satisfaction. ‘I knew you would say that, Prince Marco. So noble and so loving and so you have walked straight into the trap I laid for you. For there is a catch. There always is with magic, you should have known that.’

The evil sorceress raised her voice, wanting to enjoy the moment of her triumph. ‘Prince Erik can indeed be woken by true love’s kiss. But the person who wakes him must pay with his or her own life. That is the price of saving Erik. And so Prince Marco must choose between his own life and that of the man he loves. For by his own admission he has made himself the only one who can fulfil this task. A rather interesting experiment, if I say so myself.’

Erik cried out in anguish, a wild, pained ‘Nooooooooo!’, until Maleficent silenced him with a flick of her hand, sending him swooning senseless into his mother’s arms. And then she vanished in a puff of smoke. In all the confusion, nobody noticed Mathilda leaving with her arm round Prince Marco. And nobody noticed the small dragon with the flaming orange scales whispering in Queen Helena's ear before following her Mistress and Prince Marco out of the great hall of the castle.

Seven years passed slowly, as if a veil of sleep lay over the whole kingdom. Prince Erik was laid to rest on a bed of state in the great hall. His mother scarcely left his side, not wanting to leave her son alone for a moment longer than was strictly necessary. He lay there peacefully, looking like a beautiful sculpture, growing even more handsome by the day. But the light and the life in his eyes that had always made Erik so captivating was sadly absent.

Prince Marco hadn’t been seen since that day either. Nor had Mathilda, although there had been rumours that she had been sighted riding in the night sky high over the Black Forest, mounted on a gleaming gold dragon.

The day of Prince Erik’s date with destiny dawned. A small crowd of watchers gathered in the great hall to mark the rising on the sun on that momentous day, their mood subdued. Prince Erik looked like a beautiful angel lying there on his bed of state before the royal thrones, his hair soft, brown and velvety, his skin pale save for the faint trace of pink blush still visible on his cheeks. And those full lips still awaited true love’s first kiss. But no matter what happened today, there would be a terrible price to pay. Either Prince Erik would sleep forever or Prince Marco must give his own life for his awakening.

Maleficent manifested in a swirl of foul, evil smoke that gave rise to choking noises and coughing fits all round the hall. She stood there with her hands on her hips and a smug expression on her face, clearly looking forward to this day. She believed that she would win, no matter what choice Prince Marco made.

This time it was Maleficent who was surprised when the doors to the great hall burst open and Mathilda stalked in. Of course she was accompanied by her faithful flock of miniature dragon familiars, but it was the dragon who followed her that made everyone gasp. Several of the ladies present, not to mention quite a few gentlemen, fainted from the shock.

The unknown dragon was huge, barely able to squeeze through the doors of the great hall. Its scales gleamed like molten gold in the early morning sun and its eyes sparkled like crystal in variegated shades of gold, green and amber. The dragon started to make its way over to where Erik was lying asleep but Maleficent stood in the way, transforming herself into an equally mammoth purple dragon.

The golden dragon snorted at her in warning, plumes of smoke billowing from its nostrils. Everybody else moved back, pressing themselves against the stone walls. Everyone except for Queen Helena that was, who stayed at her post beside the sleeping Prince Erik.

The story of the battle between the purple and gold dragons that day would be told for generations. The struggle went on for what seemed like hours, neither dragon able to gain the upper hand, purple and golden sparks flashing from their scales as they clashed, lighting up the great hall of the castle like fireworks. Finally the golden dragon had Maleficent pinned to the ground, her neck trapped under a massive golden claw. Everyone held their breath until a huge stream of red-gold fire erupted from the golden dragon, completely consuming the purple dragon until all that remained of her was a pile of unhealthy looking ash. The little demons that had been Maleficent’s companions sat around, looking lost and forlorn,

‘Go on dears,’ Mathilda encouraged her little dragons, ‘try and comfort them. It’s not their fault that their Mistress didn’t teach them how to love, that she taught them to believe that there was nothing in this world but darkness and hate and envy.’ The flock of dragons flew off her skirts and fluttered over to where the disconsolate demons were sitting, cooing and chirping companionably.

Now everyone waited with bated breath to see what the victorious golden dragon would do next. King Jürgen stood in front of his son, his sword drawn, ready to try and protect Prince Erik from the dragon, even though he knew that he would almost certainly perish in the vain attempt. But Queen Helena placed her hand on his arm, soothing the King and leading him to stand by her side.

The dragon stood over Prince Erik, just looking at the slumbering prince, the expression on its face gentle and tender. And then a collective ‘ooooooooh’ echoed round the hall as the mighty golden dragon bent its head, softly nuzzling at the sleeping prince’s lips with its snout.

Erik’s eyes opened for the first time in seven years, looking up at his dragon in love and wonder. ‘You came! I always knew you would. I saw you in my dreams as I slept, as a magnificent golden dragon. My true love, my Marco.’

And with those words, the enchantment faded away and Prince Marco once more stood before his one true love, holding out a hand to help Erik up from the bed in which he had slept for so long.

Erik embraced his mother and father warmly and Marco's mother was equally eager to welcome her son back, but nobody complained that the two princes could scarcely bear to let go of each other, that Prince Marco didn’t want to let his Erik out of his arms.

‘B-b-b-b-but … H-h-h-h-h-h-how?’ stammered King Jürgen, looking at Mathilda seeking an explanation.

‘Maleficent believed that love makes us weak. But she was wrong. Love makes us vulnerable. Love means that we can be hurt. Love causes us pain. Sometimes love hurts so much that it feels as if our hearts are being ripped out of our chests. But love is also what makes us strong. It is the strongest magic of all. Prince Marco took a big risk because he loves your son with all of his heart. And it was a risk. If this hadn’t worked, he would have been forced to live as a dragon forever. Or worse.’

‘Really! You did this for me!’ Erik looked at Marco in astonishment.

‘I had to, Erik. I had to do anything and everything I could to save you. And Mathilda explained it all to me. Maleficent used the power of our love to entrap us, but she never really believed in the magic of true love. And she was so focused on trapping us in the web of her curse, that she became careless. Mathilda was 99% sure that it would only apply to someone in human form, that I would be safe as a dragon, if true love's first kiss was a snout kiss!’

‘Only 99% sure!’ Erik turned to Mathilda, accusation flashing in his eyes. ‘You risked Marco’s life and you weren’t 100% sure!’

‘Magic isn’t an exact science, Erik. It was Marco’s decision, one made of his own free will, just like I gave you the choice of whether or not you wanted to become an Omega. And if I had been completely certain, then there would have been no risk, no faith in true love, and the magic might not have been powerful enough to break the curse. I always believed in your love for one another. And that love has not only broken the curse that Maleficent placed on you, but also the curse that has haunted the whole kingdom, generation after generation.

Erik turned to Marco, taking his hands in his. ‘Thank you, Marco. Thank you for loving me enough to risk so much to save me. And now you have saved my kingdom as well. But I would still have chosen a life as an Omega so that we could be together, so that we could marry and have a family of our own. If you want to marry me that is.’ Erik looked up at Marco slightly shyly, a bright pink blush spreading over his cheeks as he spoke.

‘Of course I want to marry you!’

Prince Marco pulled Prince Erik into his arms to kiss him. Sobs of happiness were heard all round the room, especially from Queen Helena and King Jürgen. The little dragons perched on Mathilda’s skirts, each of whom was now holding claws with a slightly bemused small demon, jumped up and down happily. And Mathilda surveyed the entire scene with a satisfied smile on her face.

It goes without saying that they all lived happily ever after. But that is such an important and precious thing that it really does need to be said:

AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!!!!!!!!!!

[That last line might just have been shouted by a very excitable small dragon with flaming orange scales!]  

**Author's Note:**

> With grateful thanks to Blue_Night for letting me borrow Helena and Mathilda!


End file.
